Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS

Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS

Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS

Abstract

The invention relates to a cosmetic or pharmaceutical composition for topical use, comprising lipid vesicles obtained by crushing seeds of oleaginous plants, emulsification in an aqueous phase and filtration.

Description

The present invention relates more specifically to compositions of this type comprising lipid vesicles obtained from seeds of oleaginous plants.

In the seeds of oleaginous plants, the oil (essentially triglycerols) is present in the form of oily bodies which can vary in diameter from 0.1 to 10 micrometres, and which comprise a central core of oil surrounded by a covering consisting of proteins (oleosins) and of phospholipids (J. Tzen et al., J. Cell. Bio, 117,327, 1992).

These oily bodies may be extracted from the oleaginous plants from which they originate by crushing the seeds of oleaginous plants, emulsification in an aqueous phase and filtration.

The present invention is directed towards using these oily bodies for the manufacture of cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical compositions for topical use.

The subject of the present invention is consequently a cosmetic or pharmaceutical composition for topical use, comprising lipid vesicles obtained by crushing seeds of oleaginous plants, emulsification in an aqueous phase and filtration.

In an advantageous form of the invention, instead of incorporating in the compositions the emulsion as obtained after filtration, the lipid vesicles are incorporated in the compositions in the form of a concentrate (having the appearance of a cream) obtained by centrifugation of the emulsion.

In general, the concentrate of lipid vesicles may be incorporated in an aqueous phase in amounts which can represent up to 30% by weight of the composition.

As examples of seeds of oleaginous plants, soya bean, pistachio, macadamia, sunflower, rape, groundnut, almond, hazelnut, sesame, borage, wheat germ and jojoba seeds may be mentioned. It is preferable to use seeds having a high oil content (pistachio, macadamia, groundnut, jojoba, hazelnut).

Stabilization of the emulsions or concentrates may be obtained, in particular, using the following techniques:

Bacteriological stabilization

heat treatment of the seeds (cooking for 1 hour or longer at a temperature not exceeding 50° C.);

irradiation of the seeds at 0 to 10 kGy;

UHT treatment of the emulsion of oily bodies (after filtration and before the centrifugation): 120° C.×5 seconds;

optional addition, either to the emulsification water or to the aqueous phase of dilution of the concentrate, of preservatives, and for example:

With the minimum of addition of chemical constituents to the aqueous phase of dilution of the concentrates, it is possible to achieve a good stability of the final compositions by adjusting the zeta potential of the particles.

The addition of relevant components will hence be determined as a result of this technique.

Among these components, there may be mentioned:

______________________________________sodium chloride 0 to 2% by weightcitric acid 0 to 2% by weighthydrolysed pectin 0 to 1% by weightphosphate buffers 0 to 1% by weight______________________________________

These compositions according to the invention can comprise, in addition, thickeners such as:

______________________________________polyacrylic acids 0 to 1% by weightxanthan gum 0 to 1% by weightscleran gum 0 to 1% by weightbentone and derivatives 0 to 2% by weightpolyacrylamide and 0 to 2% by weightderivativescarob and/or 0 to 2% by weightcarrageenans______________________________________

The compositions according to the invention can, in addition, contain colorants and perfumes.

These compositions according to the invention are equivalent to existing cosmetic compositions, but they have the following advantages relative to these latter:

oleosins possess epitopes of configurations similar to those of the apoproteins of animal lipoproteins. They can hence be recognized by the skin lipases.

The compositions according to the invention can hence lay claim--through their biological similarity--to a better substantivity than that of the existing cosmetic compositions based on synthetic emulsifiers.

Examples illustrating the invention will be given below.

APPLICATION EXAMPLESExample 1

Face Milk

Macadamia seeds, previously stabilized from a microbiological standpoint, are ground using an impeller breaker.

90 parts of water, with or without the addition of preservatives and antioxidants, are added to 10 parts of the ground preparation. Moderate stirring is maintained for half an hour at a temperature not exceeding 35° C.

The above emulsion (milk) is then filtered using frontal filtration (200-micron cartridge) with a rinsing device, so as to remove the plant pulp.

The emulsion filtered in this way may then be concentrated by centrifugation. A dairy machine is preferred for this operation.

The concentrate (cream) obtained possesses a percentage fat content of the order of 60% by weight. This concentrate may then be diluted, thickened and perfumed to form the following composition:

______________________________________concentrate 15% to 30% by weightxanthan gum 1 to 2% by weightperfume 0.1 to 0.5% by weightpreservatives qswater qs 100% by weight______________________________________

Example 2

Preparation of a Night Cream

The concentrate prepared in Example 1 may be used to manufacture the following composition:

______________________________________concentrate 20 to 30% by weightglycerol 2 to 5.0% by weightxanthan gum 1 to 2.0% by weightpolyacrylamide 5 to 10% by weightperfume 0.1 to 0.5% by weightpreservatives qswater qs 100% by weight______________________________________

Claims (3)

What is claimed is:

1. A cosmetic or pharmaceutical composition for topical use, comprising, in an appropriate base for topical use, an effective amount of lipid vesicles obtained by: